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Monday, July 25, 2016

Taking Axona, MCT Oil or Coconut Oil for Alzheimer's

What do Axona®, Coconut Oil and MCT Oil have in common? They all share a key ingredient popular in dementia diets. The ingredient is Medium Chain Triglycerides(MCT). What are the benefits of each of these three MCT sources? Which MCT source is best?

How MCTs May Boost a Faltering Brain

In Alzheimer's, brain cells often don't get enough energy to do their job.

The technical term for this problem is "mitochondrial dysfunction". Mitochondria are the "power plants" that generate power for brain cells. Mitochondria generate power by turning glucose into energy. The body makes glucose directly from the food we eat. When mitochondria malfunction, it is like a power-plant malfunction: there is not enough energy to supply the demand. That affects the local brain cells. Parts of the brain slow down or stop working.

The body has a built-in alternative source of energy. Cells can get power from a "backup fuel" called ketones. Normally, the body generates ketones when it cannot get enough glucose, such as when a person is fasting or starving. In Alzheimer's, though there may be plenty of glucose around, the brain cells still may not get the energy they need. The cells may work just fine, but their "power plants" are down; that is to say, their mitochondria are malfunctioning. However, if the brain cells had ketones, they could hypothetically use them as a backup. The catch is, since no one is hungry or starving, the body is not producing any.

There is a way to get around this problem using foods rich in Medium Chain Triglycerides, or MCTs for short.

MCTs in food are immediately converted by the liver into ketones. This happens even when a person is full. So the hypothesis is that if a person eats MCTs, their brain will soon be swimming in ketones. This will give brain cells an ample supply of ketones as a backup fuel. Although this won't fix anything, it can allow the backup systems in brain cells to kick-in and noticeably compensate for the mitochondrial "power plants" that are not working properly.

The Downsides of MCT

Will MCTs always help? It appears to depend upon the individual. This is because Alzheimer's is a complex disease and there are a lot of stages and many systems that are affected. Nothing yet exists that has been shown to help everyone who has Alzheimer's, nor at all stages of Alzheimer's. This includes all the FDA-Approved Alzheimer's medications. According to Consumer Reports, Alzheimer's drugs help less than half the people who take them. At the same time, many food and drug therapies achieve dramatic improvements in different people at various stages of Alzheimer's. Ask your doctor to help you find which therapies work for you.

It is also worth noting that doctors try to reduce long-chain triglycerides (LCT) in Alzheimer's because lower fat levels are good for the disease. This would make MCT oil and Axona (which are 100% MCT) less of a problem than coconut oil (which has a lot of LCT).

An important point that people who champion MCTs like to point out is that all drug and food therapies have positives and negatives. Despite the negatives of Axona, MCT oil and coconut oil, they appear to be milder and have fewer side effects than the major Alzheimer's medications. So if someone is willing to ask their doctor for medication, it only makes sense to ask the doctor about Axona, MCT oil or coconut oil.

There are a lot of similarities and differences between these three products. They have different costs, a variety of side-effects and different mixes of MCT types. These distinctions have led to many questions from our readers, such as:

“I have been hearing about MCTS as an effective in the treatment of Alzheimer’s and understand that it is the main ingredient of Axona®. Would using a lower cost source such as coconut oil be as effective as the higher priced Axona®? Thanks,
Linda”

To begin answering this question, we put together two charts.

The first chart shows the difference formulations of various MCTs in Axona®, MCT oil and coconut oil.

The second compares the daily cost to use each product.

These charts assume a serving size that includes 20 grams of MCT, which is the amount of MCTs in one packet of Axona®. For reference, there are 5 grams in a teaspoon and 15 grams in a tablespoon. (In U.S. nutrition labeling, a tablespoon is 15 ml.)

What Type of MCT Makes Up Each Product?

Three Products

Type of MCT

Axona®

MCT Oil

Coconut Oil

Caprylidene [C8]

47.5%

Caprylic Acid [C8]

60%

8%

Capric Acid [C10]

40%

7%

Lauric Acid [C12]

48%

Total amount of the product made out of MCTs

47.50%

100%

63%

What do 20 Grams of MCTs Cost?

Amount needed to get 20gm

40 gm
(1 packet)

22 ml

39 ml

Typical daily cost

$ 2.30

$ 0.84

$ 0.22

(To get the most out of this article, get more scientific and dietary background by reading, “The Coconut-Oil-Dementia Diet.” These articles are for informational purposes only. Ask your doctor before using these ingredients or products.)

MCT is the Common Denominator

To review, the common denominator in the three products above is a compound called MCT, which stands for Medium Chain Triglyceride. MCTs are quickly converted by the liver into ketones, which serve as a backup fuel for our bodies as well as our brains.

In most dementias, the system that metabolizes glucose (the preferred fuel) in the brain steadily loses its effectiveness. It seems that by raising the level of the backup fuel, or ketones, in the brain, one may compensate for this loss of primary fuel for quite some time. This seems to be achievable by consuming MCTs.

Four Types of MCTs

For the purposes of this discussion, there are four types of MCTs. Each one is commonly referred to by the number of carbon atoms in the medium-sized chain that holds it together. They are:

C6

C8

C10

C12

Look at the chart above and you can see how Axona®, MCT oil and coconut oil are similar in that their active ingredients for treating dementia are MCTs. At the same time, the types and mix of MCTs in each are different.

Four Facts on MCTs and Ketones

With this understanding, let’s take a look at a few facts.

The Coconut-Oil-Dementia Diet article references a number of respected studies showing the effectiveness of a ketones in improving symptoms of dementia.

MCTs convert into ketones quickly.

The active ingredient in Axona® is an MCT called caprylidene, which is powdered caprylic acid.

Three Questions on Axona vs. Coconut Oil

Now we can run through some questions and answers which should clear up the picture.

Is there an active ingredient in coconut oil that can provide the brain with ketones? Yes.

Is coconut oil’s active ingredient exactly the same as the active ingredient in Axona®? No.

Would using a lower cost coconut oil be as effective as the higher priced Axona®?

The best way to answer this last question may be with an analogy. If my daughter turned 18, had to have a car and money were no object, I would buy her a Volvo. Why? It’s not the best car in the world and in certain situations it may not even be the safest. At the same time, Volvo has the reputation as the best-studied best-built car for safety.

Just like any car can get us to the supermarket, any of the 3 MCT products above will get ketones to our brains. Notwithstanding, there can be side-effects, interactions and other unknowns. Like the Volvo, Axona® may be costly, but it is the best-studied MCT treatment for dementia. We simply have far more scientific research regarding its safety and benefits than any other MCT treatment.

Coconut oil is common in health food stores and needs no prescription. It sounds safe. Notwithstanding, when using it as a therapy for a dementia such as Alzheimer's, do not take its safety for granted. That’s not coconut oil’s normal use, so it calls for professional supervision. It is the reason why Axona® DOES need a prescription. It is safe to say that medical supervision is needed when using any MCT to treat a dementia such as Alzheimer’s.

Conclusions:

There is plenty of science backing the use of MCTs for many types of dementia.

Prior to treating dementia with a ketogenic diet, MCT oil or coconut oil, be certain to ask your doctor.

Get more scientific and dietary background by reading, “The Coconut-Oil-Dementia Diet.” These articles are for informational purposes only. Ask your doctor before using these ingredients or products.

@Ruth - That's great the coco-nut oil helping ur husband,& yes I bought some containers myself & it helped. I think this article spoke of sorting out the MCTs or Ketones from coco-nut oil or just getting packages of Axona. I am very price-wearaly on new stuff,especially when guessing. Any advice or suggestions ?

When I asked Dr. Mary Newport, she likes Axona but she felt it doesn't last long enough in the body. The good thing with the Coconut oil and MCT oil is we can give it throughout the day as needed. Axona is a one pack a day med. It also was not working for people who have the APOe4 aelle like my husband who has a double e4.

That are great news :the Alzheimer's Association is supporting research with extra virgin coconut oil that improves mitochondrial function and works as an alternative fuel to the neurons, controlling some dementia symptons .Is well known that mitochondrial disfunctions and others brain energy disorders are behind most dementia symptons and hastens neurons apoptosis not only in Early Onset AD and in Late Onset AD , but in the others types of dementias too. I hope that the research do NOT stops only in trials with the "primitive" extra virgin coconut oil, but that researchers with an "OPEN MIND" get a broader vision as happened with the developing of the researchers that developed Aspirin. As is well known , the Acetylsalicylic acid (A.S.A.-Aspirin) , was developed 114 years ago (without none computer and without none technology of these days) , when scientists isolated from the white willow bark (the tree called white willow or salix alba) the substance acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) , that now,it is used in pills and tablets as painkillers and as life savers to protects against heart attacks.

The drug Rivastigmine (Exelon) used in AD , have as a primitive precursor the toxic plant called calabar bean, and from that extremely toxic calabar bean , researchers extracted substances to treat some symptons of AD, synthesizing the Exelon.We can asks : what can they do with the atoxic and safe food called extra virgin coconut oil? If researchers wants, and do not stops the research in this oil , but , just know, with all the biochemical, molecular and pharmacological knowledge that they have now, and with all the thechnology of 2014 (computers, softwares,etc) ,researchers can synthesize powerful derivatives as synthetic compounds with the same mechanisms of action of the crude" extra virrgin coconut oil , but with much more effectiviness to control the mitochondrial disorders and the brain energy disorders of Early Onset and Late Onset AD and of others types of dementias.